Occupy movement gets help from its musical friends

NEW YORK Yoko Ono, Debbie Harry, Jackson Browne and Willie Nelson are among dozens of artists contributing to "Occupy This Album," to raise money for the Occupy Wall Street movement against economic inequality, a publicity firm said on Monday.

Workhouse public relations firm said that the album would be released in the spring "as a celebration that provides a musical voice and ultimately through record sales, financial support to fortify the movements continuation."

The album is being put together by Occupy Wall Street solidarity group "Music for Occupy." Other artists involved with the album are Third Eye Blind, Crosby and Nash, Tom Morello, Thievery Corporation, Warren Haynes, and Immortal Technique.

Inspired by the Arab Spring protests, Occupy Wall Street began when protesters set up camp in New York's Zuccotti Park on September 17, sparking demonstrations across the United States and elsewhere in the world.

But the eviction of protesters in New York and public spaces in other U.S. cities in November and December has made the protests less visible and organizers now face the challenge of how to maintain momentum without the physical camps.

Protesters are upset that billions of dollars in bailouts given to banks during the recession allowed a return to huge profits while average Americans had no relief from unemployment and a struggling economy. They also believe the richest 1 percent do not pay their fair share of taxes.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Jill Serjeant)

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